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  Discussion on Peppermint for horses
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Posted on Friday, May 5, 2000 - 9:06 am:

DrO and everyone,
Ok, this may be a better place to post this question...
Does anyone know if there are any risks involved in giving a colt an occassional peppermint candy as a treat? He's 14 mos. old and very healthy, no eating problems of any kind. I gave him 2 last night and he liked them, but I was told it isn't a good idea to give them any at all. I was just curious, I've heard of people using the peppermints for treats and have never heard of any problems with it. He also gets carrots once in awhile. He doens't like apples so he doesn't get those. Any other ideas for treats that aren't bad for them? Thanks alot.

Posted on Friday, May 5, 2000 - 11:09 am:

I've given my horses lots of things, some they
liked otheres not. Accross the board they love
pepermint candies. They might get one once or
twice a year but I've never heard of any reason
not to give them for a rare treat. You can allso
try Buckeye Pepermint Treats for Horses, they are
nurtrious and are very strong pepermint. My horses
love them! Also, don't throw out your watermellon
rind... oooo horsey heaven!

Posted on Friday, May 5, 2000 - 11:17 am:

Emily-
Thanks for the reply. :0)
Watermelon rinds,huh? Wow...do you have to do anything with them first? Boil, or something like that?

Posted on Friday, May 5, 2000 - 2:59 pm:

I give, and have always given, peppermints as horse treats on a regular basis. When my yearling was 6 months old he had a bad leg injury and had to have antibiotics. To get these down him we mixed a whole packet of chopped up polos in his feed. The vet said that it was fine and the biggest risk was that if we did it for years his teeth would rot!!

Posted on Friday, May 5, 2000 - 3:39 pm:

Claire-
Thanks alot for the info. I don't plan on letting his teeth rot. haha Apparently, someone local had a horse that was ran to the vet for giving peppermint. I have no idea how much was given or what any other circumstances were so I just wanted to ask-just in case. :0) My colt seems to like them alot, he even sucks on them a bit before chewing them up. *grin*

Posted on Saturday, May 6, 2000 - 2:11 am:

As for the watermellon rinds you need to do
nothing to them. sometimes you need to break them
into small pieces at first till they know what
they are, but after that WATCH OUT! my horses will
knock you down to get them!

All so another treat,... leftover cooked
spagettie. Verry funny to see a horse slurp up
long noodles!*grin*

Posted on Saturday, May 6, 2000 - 9:46 am:

Emily-
Thank goodness, I finally have a use for that leftover spaghetti. haha I always cook too much. I never would have guessed that one. I'll try them and see if he likes it. Thanks alot!

Posted on Saturday, May 6, 2000 - 12:08 pm:

Well, my horse LOVES peppermints!!! After Xmas I buy candy canes at half price and give them to the horses.
As far as I know, peppermints are not bad for horses. My mare also likes gummy bears and licorice, (red).
They will literally *kill* for watermelon rinds!!
She also eats whole oranges and lemons, skin and all, yum! (I figure a few a week will keep her Vit.C levels up, as horses do not store Vit.C in their bodies.)
My friends horse prefers wintergreen mints, (Lifesavers, if you please). hahaha...:) though he won't turn down a peppermint if offered.
Member:
Dommay

Posted on Friday, Mar 14, 2003 - 1:58 pm:

Hi there,
new to this forum and reading this post helped me remember my first Quarter Horse gelding that loved pepeomint life savers. I would give to him before taking his bridle off and of course the next day, no probs moving away from getting bridled. sucked it right up because the flavor of lifesavers was on the bit. He also loved the soda and egg salad sandwiches.

I have a question for the Doc and anyone who can provide some information for me on a hypp n/h gelding I just brought home to get out of a terrible area/care.

Question is what type of treats can I give him that will not give too much Potassium? Hypp horses need to be on a very low Potassium diet. Not sure how this baby was raised other than halter showing but he will not take a treat from me hand other than feed!
Thanks!
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